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When Sony shared its plans for the new Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle, there still wasn't an official release date for the game. Today the official US PlayStation blog changed that, telling us to circle June 12 on our calendars. There is another aspect to this news that will make gamers perk up their ears; preorder customers will be able to participate in the beta for Metal Gear Online.

When the preorder program begins in April 2008, consumers who pre-order Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will receive the Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD, containing a Prologue that recaps the Metal Gear franchise, a 20th Anniversary retrospective, character bios for Big Boss, Liquid Snake, Solidus Snake, and Solid Snake, plus a collection of international trailers of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. This pre-order package also contains an insert with a download code and special instructions for accessing the Metal Gear Online beta test when it goes live in late April.

There are only vague instructions to contact your local retailer if you've already preordered, so you may want to make some calls if you have already put your $5 down. The beta will run for two weeks, and there is no information about how many people will be allowed in, or if there will be any beta invites available for non-pre-order customers.

The one-two punch of the software release and the hardware bundle should enable Sony to show a significant increase in hardware sales. This is great news for gamers who now know exactly how long they'll be waiting for what is sure to be one of the biggest titles this year.